Posts Tagged ‘El Paso Sports’

17 Aug

Next for Fan Favorite Strelzin: Baseball Hall

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 08.16.15

It took a long time for Paul Strelzin to be inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall paulstrelzinof Fame because he asked not to be considered.

He finally consented and was inducted in 2009.

Now this year, he’s being inducted into the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame.

The induction banquet will be held August 29 at the Centennial Banquet Conference Center in Fort Bliss.

STRELZIN, WHO passed away in 2013, was loud, brash and controversial, just like a current presidential candidate, but with a difference. Strelzin loved everyone, including Mexicans. He married one.

There’s no doubt that Strelzin was at least partially responsible for the great success of the El Paso Diablos under Jim Paul and the UTEP Miners basketball team under Don Haskins in the 1980s. He was the public address announcer for both teams and his loud and unorthodox style drove officials crazy but the fans loved it, and loved him.

 

RESUMES of other El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame inductees this year:

Leo Caraveo — Member of the Ysleta High School team that won the district title in 1965, an outstanding player while in the  U.S. Army, played semi-pro baseball in El Paso, first head baseball coach at Sierra Blanca High, served as a board member for El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame.

Taylor Paul – Franklin High catcher 1997-1998, four years at Southwestern University, led SCAC Conference in hitting, selected NCAA All-West Regional, All-Conference, NCAA Academic first team All-American 2001, inducted into Southwestern University’s Wall of Honor.

Jerry Valdez – Socorro High three year varsity standout 1991-1993, All-Conference team catcher at Cochise College, inducted into Fort Hays State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, drafted 25th round by Philadelphia Phillies 1997, played catcher for five minor league seasons, reached Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 2001.

Juan Zaragoza – Three year letterman at Bowie High, pitcher at Ranger Junior College, played in 7 regionals, one championship, five state tournaments in Juarez Baseball League, pitching record 9-1 for winning El Paso Tejanos team as MSLB 60 plus World Series champions, El Paso International Baseball 50 League member.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name the Cincinnati Reds player who pitched two consecutive no-hitters? Answer at end of column.

 

EL PASO HAS lost another sports icon. Bobby Lesley passed away at the age of 74 this month.

Bobby Lesley was different. He was a loner, often cantankerous and shunned theblesley spotlight with a passion. But what a talent. He coached Eastwood High School to the state basketball championship in 1976, thus making Eastwood the only El Paso public high school besides El Paso High to win a state title in that sport.

Lesley was different even as a youth. But Don Haskins, who was coaching at Hedley High in his early years, recognized Lesley’s ability from the start. The only way he could get Lesley to play for him at Hedley was if Haskins became his guardian. He did, and Lesley led Hedley to the semi-finals of the state tournament.

In his autobiography, “Haskins: The Bear Facts,” Haskins remembered Lesley at that time as “a barefooted, freckle-faced kid, hard as a rock – and cocky.” Haskins brought him to Texas Western College, too, and as usual, Lesley showed up barefooted. Ben Collins, the Miners’ athletic director at the time, pulled Haskins aside and said, “Uh, Don, you may not win many games if you bring in a bunch of guys from Hedley.” Haskins signed Lesley anyway and it wasn’t long before Collins was singing Lesley’s praises, too.

 

LESLEY SPENT the late years of his life enjoying his favorite hobby – horse racing. For the last few years he was a regular at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, sitting at his own table, usually alone, smoking and studying the Daily Racing Form.

Some may think his death was a tragic one. He was found dead in his apartment, all alone.

Somehow, I think that’s the way he preferred it.

Those who knew Bobby Lesley best, including his players and coach Haskins, loved him. That, no doubt, was enough for him.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Johnny Vander Meer.

15 Aug

Recalling Mannie Ponsford And His Family

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 08.09.15

Mannie Ponsford is one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of El marymelbyPaso. I was intrigued, therefore, when I got a call from his niece, Mary Jo Ponsford Melby, with the news that she had a copy of a column I wrote about him in 1955.

The article pointed out that Mannie, who was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 1960, had performed an amazing 24-hour athletic feat in 1919. On a Saturday afternoon he caught a pass in the final minutes to help El Paso High School beat Albuquerque. That night, he sank the winning basket to give Trinity Methodist a victory and the championship of the Church League.

The next day, he went out and pitched El Paso to a victory in a mound duel.

Thus, in a 24 hour period he accounted for three victories in three different sports.

He went on to pitch for the University of Texas at Austin and led the Longhorns to an undefeated season.

 

I WAS FURTHER intrigued to learn that Mrs. Melby had written a history of the entire Ponsford family. And what a history!

The Ponsford family, starting with H. T. Ponsford who came to El Paso in 1897, went into construction and built many historic homes and buildings in the region.

To name a few, the Ponsford family built Ysleta High School, Bowie High School, Radford, Cadwallader, Coldwell and the first Zach White elementary schools. They also built the Sun Bowl stadium, the Plaza Theater and buildings at Fort Bliss and UTEP

In short, they were pioneers in what El Paso looks like today. It’s such a great history every El Pasoan should read it. If you call Mrs. Melby at 532-7213 or email her at mjmelby@hotmail.com she’ll be happy to email you a copy.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1920, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves went 26 innings, the longest game inning-wise in the history of Major League baseball. What was the final score? Answer at end of column.

 

READERS WRITE:

Ana Chavez — “I wanted to reach out to all of you (media) to let you know that I will be leaving my position as Director of Media Relations at the Sun Bowl Association. My heart is heavy … If you know me, you know I love El Paso and I LOVE the Sun Bowl! I have been offered an excellent opportunity as Senior Account Executive at a public relations firm in Miami, Florida. I want to thank you all for being the best local media in the bowl business.”

I’ll miss her dearly.

 

Bob Fields, former El Paso sportscaster – “Great to see you are doing well. I retired from TV five years ago and stay very active with the NFL Alumni Association. I’m on the board of directors and will be named chairman of the board next year. It’s amazing how some never believed I ever played in the NFL. You were the only one who took the time to find out I did, and now I work for them. You will never know how much you mean to me.“

 

El Paso High School Alumni Association – “The EPHS Centennial takes place October 2016 and we are looking for all alumni.  We will attempt to break the Guinness book of World Record for the largest alumni reunion.  The current record is 3300.”

 

Jose Torres, public information officer, City of Dallas – “Nice story on Ernie Ponce.  He was also a visionary.  He invested in the original KEHB TV with E.H. Baeza, which later became El Paso del Norte Broadcasting, parent company of KINT TV.”

 

OOPS DEPARTMENT: Last week I wrote that late alderman Ernie Ponce should be inducted into the El Paso Golf Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1997. I should have double checked. The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame? Not inducted yet. He should be.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: A 1-1 tie.

19 Jul

Book On State Champions A Great Contribution

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 07.19.15

A couple of weeks ago I told you about El Pasoan Charles Hill writing a book about high school state chillchampions from the El Paso area. I just finished reading the manuscript and I can’t emphasize enough what an important piece of work it is.

Can you imagine how much work and research it took to compile a list of team and individual state high schools champions from our city and surrounding area in every sport?

And it’s not dry reading. Hill gives his own views and analysis on many of the subjects.

As one who has lived and written about most of the history of high school sports here I found it totally fascinating and a great contribution to our sports history.

The book is not in print – yet – but it’s available via the Internet. KVIA-TV has it on its website. As for me, I’m hoping to help Hill get his manuscript published. Everyone whoever won a state championship should have it in book form.

 

PERSONALLY, there are gems in the book that made my eyes pop out. For instance, I didn’t know that the legendary Ball brothers, George and Russell, had won a state tennis doubles championship. Nor that Bobby Goldfarb, who was on the 1941 state basketball championship team from El Paso High at the tender age of 13, had also won a state tennis doubles title with Ed Chew.

But I digress. Let me let Charles Hill tell you about his book in his own words.

“I STARTED writing my book in November of 2013 … I started with football. … I knew that no area UIL team had won a state championship so I decided to write about the teams that made it to the third round of the playoffs (Austin in 1937) because that was the deepest level any El Paso area team had gone before Canutillo’s historic run in 2014. …. I tried to highlight the best teams that have ever played in El Paso. My choice would be 1975 Coronado. Some people think the ’79 Coronado team was better.

“BASKETBALL came next. I knew El Paso High’s history as I am a fellow Tiger alum. I saw their last Final 4 appearance in 1965. EPHS had a great team with Kenny John, George Hodge and a pair of 6-7 centers.

“I also knew about Eastwood’s championship and Riverside’s run. I was surprised to learn about Cathedral’s nine TCIL titles. “BASEBALL WAS next. I knew Bowie had won in 1949 and Socorro in 2009. I wanted to tell the Bowie story again because of the hardships that team went through and also to emphasize that some of those racial attitudes haven’t changed much in parts of Texas, as Socorro found out in 2009.

“The chapter on soccer came next. I knew of Del Valle’s success and that soccer was the rising sport in El Paso. I didn’t know about the ’95 Coronado title team until I researched it on the UIL website. “The hardest sports to cover were wrestling, swimming and track. My wrestling chapter ran long because I decided to list any athlete that had medaled at a UIL state tournament. I didn’t realize there had been so many.

 

“SWIMMING ran long because of Cathedral’s great history in the sport (29 championships and 25 straight).

“The El Paso area has been very successful in cross country track and to a lesser extent in Track and Field (many individual champions but no team titles). “MY GREATEST surprise or disappointment: Golf. You would think that a city with world class weather would produce more champions in golf but such is not the case.

“Biggest pleasant surprises were Bowie’s history in track, El Paso’s great history in cross country, soccer, basketball and Track and Field (many individual champions). Of course Canutillo 2014 football season and Andress in basketball were great stories. And soccer. San Elizario and Cathedral won championships this year and Horizon made the Final 4.”

Stayed tune here for future details.

 

 

28 Jun

El Paso High Seeks Help, Names 2015 Ex

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 06.18.15

Help! My alma mater, El Paso High School, needs assistance.

The beautiful “Lady on the Hill,” as the school has been called, is getting ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year and Michael Montes, president of the school’s alumni association, has sent out a call for alumni to provide, as he put it, “your ideas, input and talents.  What would you like to see be part of your Centennial?”

He says the centennial committee needs:

* Researchers to find archives in the Museum * Researchers to find alumni and classmates * Webmaster for Alumni webpage * Writers for our monthly newsletter * Help with Social Media * Graphic Designeramadaflores

If you have any thoughts, contact Anna Mares for details at annamares@aol.com or email your ideas to that address.

 

I DO HAVE one tidbit of information to offer. Or rather, Nancy Hamilton, a classmate of mine at UTEP and a co-worker on The Prospector then, does.

A couple of years ago I wrote that Kristine Ferret was the first female principal at El Paso High School.

Wrong. Mrs. Ferret is the only woman principal at the school since the present building opened 99 years ago but the very first principal at the high school in 1885 was a lady named Emma Seabough.

Let Mrs. Hamilton, a historian who has authored several books, explain. She wrote:

 

“I ENJOYED your column about the EPHS lady principal.  However, in researching ‘The Rise and Growth of Public Education in El Paso,’ Elaine Lewis Morrell’s MA thesis of 1936 for the University of Texas, I find that we had some earlier lady principals.

“In 1885-86 a high school was established on the second floor of the Central School with Miss Emma Seabough as principal … There was no graduating class that year. In 1886, Miss Ella B. Meekins (later to become Mrs. G. H. Wilkins) became principal and held the position for a number of years.  She was assisted by the superintendent, who taught mathematics, and Miss Fannie Echols and Mrs. Leigh Clark, who taught English and Latin.

“There were two pupils in the graduating class of 1887. Mrs. Morrell taught at Austin High when I was there in the early 1940s.”

 

IT’S GOOD to set the record straight.

Oh, and let me inform you that El Paso High School has picked its Outstanding Ex of 2015. And what a selection!

It’s the remarkable Amada S. Flores, president and CEO of MST Consulting, Inc., dba AIM Construction, Inc.

In a business where few women seek success, she took a small investment and great work ethic and built it into a multi-million dollar construction firm.

 

SHE WAS HONORED by Major Gl James L. Terry with a certificate for outstanding workmanship and renovation at Fort Bliss in 2010. Also in 2010, AIM Construction was chosen by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a Future 15 Company. And in 2012, she was chosen as Minority Contractor of the Year.

Then, in 2013, her firm was chosen as Texas Minority Business of the Year.

Now she will be honored by her high school.

A 1963 El Paso High School graduate, she has been involved in many projects at the school through the years and is currently co-chair with Sandy Aaronson for the Tiger Friends and Exes tiles project.

”I will continue to work and make ourselves available where needed to make our Centennial a smashing success,” she says.

 

OKAY, SO WHAT does all this have to do with sports? Well, not much except that sports figures have been chosen as Outstanding Exes before, including, to name a few, Jim Paul, Jerry Rubin, Jimmy Rogers Jr., Sammy Schneider, Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt (last year) and an old, creaky sports writer (the year before last).

Besides, hey! Spare me. El Paso High School is my alma mater.

27 Jun

Sunland Hotel Shows Importance Of Track, Casino

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez, Sunland Park Racetrack. Tagged: , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 06.21.15

splogoWhat a smart idea. I mean, the fact that Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino is going to build its own hotel.

Heck, other smart folks have been building hotels all around Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino for years. So why not have Sunland build its own right on its premises?

Yes, that’s how popular the racetrack and casino have become. I don’t think El Paso appreciates what an asset Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino is. Not only does it attract tourists and racing fans by the thousands, it provides hundreds of jobs for El Pasoans.

And I won’t even mention what a great contributor it is to worthy causes, including UTEP and New Mexico State.

 

SOME PEOPLE look down on the Sunland operation because it involves gambling — but they shouldn’t. It’s entertainment. Yes, a few may overdo the betting part, but the vast majority of fans know how to handle their money. That’s why you see the same folks year after year at the track or casino.

Look, anywhere you go it’s going to cost you money. If you go to a movie, it’s going to cost you money. If you go out to dinner, or a play, or a sporting event, it’s going to cost you money. In horse racing or casino playing, besides being fun and exciting, you at least have a chance of going home with more money than when you left.

And you’d be surprised how often that happens. I know, I’ve been a Sunland fan since the track opened.

 

THE SUNLAND hotel will be located in its parking lot and is part of a $7 million expansion project.

It will have 79 rooms, a business center and a fitness center with track-side views and will be connected to the racetrack and casino with a bridge, just like some of the best hotels in Las Vegas.

Construction will begin in August and will be ready by the summer of 2016.

Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino director of operations Dustin Dix says he’s very “excited” about the coming hotel.

So am I. So should you.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name an NBA guard who was a first team all-star for 10 consecutive seasons? Answer at end of column.

 

EDDIE MULLENS, former longtime UTEP sports information director, has been through quite an ordeal. I’ll let him explain in his own words:
“…If I took the time to fully explain what has happened in recent months, you would say something like: ‘why the hell did I ask!’…Seriously, to give you the Reader’s Digest version, my problem started with a botched knee replacement that required a second surgery which was still unable to correct the damage done to tissues, etc. … Then neuropathy arrived big time and I’m now wearing braces on each leg, using a walker to get around with a wheel chair in the wings … Not to mention three ER trips in 16 days with heart issues …

“But I can still laugh, joke and smile about the situation even though I no longer drive a car… I hope to be able to see you at the UTEP Hall of Fame gig (in October) … Time will make that call. Otherwise, as Mrs. Lincoln was asked, ‘Otherwise how was the play?’”

 

I’M PRAYING for Eddie’s full recovery. He’s a legend in El Paso sports lore. In addition to his remarkable work ethic, his similes while at UTEP added fun and enjoyment to his press releases and brought national attention to the school.

Two of his similes I remember most: 1) When he described someone being “as excited as Tarzan with his loin cloth on fire” and 2) when he said 1966 Miners basketball rebound specialist Harry Flournoy “takes everything off the boards except the paint.”

Needless to say, Mullens was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame years ago.

I’ll see you in October, Eddie.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Bob Cousy, from 1951-1952 through 1960-61.

 

21 Jun

KVIA’s Lovell Qualifies for Boston Marathon – Again

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 05.31.15

Kevin Lovell has been a great asset to the El Paso sports scene klovellsince he became general manager of KVIA-TV, not only because his station covers sports events with uncanny efficiency but because he goes far beyond the call of duty and gets involved in the community.

He’s served as president of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, acted as master of the ceremonies for that Hall’s induction banquet and this year almost single-handedly made sure that Nolan Richardson was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

When Lovell found that Richardson had been elected to many other Halls of Fame, including the national Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, but that the Texas Sports Hall of Fame had not given him that honor, he started contacting people throughout Texas. He wrote letters, made phone calls, urged, pleaded and finally got Richardson inducted this year.

 

BUT DID YOU know that besides all that Lovell is, and has been, a marathon runner? And a good one? Really.

How good? Well, good enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Now 60, Lovell started running years ago and competed in his first marathon at the age of 50. He even made it to the Boston Marathon. He stayed in shape through the years but did not run a competitive marathon until he decided to turn back the hands of time and try to qualify for the Boston Marathon after he recently turned 60.

After training the past six months he ran in the Mountains2Beach Marathon from Ojai to Ventura in California last month. It’s a fast downhill race at sea level but it’s still 26.2 miles. He finished third in the 60-64 year old age male category with a time of 3 hours and 33 minutes. That equaled his Boston Marathon time from ten years earlier and was 21 minutes under the Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3:55 for a 60-year-old man.

 

LOVELL SAYS, “I was very pleased to learn that I also exceeded by less than one minute the New York City Marathon qualifying standard which is much tougher – 3:34 for a 60 year old man. Boston is set up to have only runners who qualify. New York City is a race where almost all of the entrants are selected in a lottery. NYC does allow for some runners to make it via the qualifying route but they make the time tougher than Boston because they want the vast majority of the NYC runners to be everyday people and not just the fastest runners. Since I have to run Boston, I plan to run New York in November of 2016 when I will be eligible.  I won’t be running for time, however. I will be running for fun. Running a full marathon for time as fast as you can is very stressful and demanding. I love the challenge but don’t want to run that kind of race again.”

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name the pitcher who won the Cy Young Award while pitching for two different Major League teams in the same season? Answer at end of column.

 

SPEAKING OF Nolan Richardson, it’s amazing how much the man is revered. He held his 28th annual Nolan Richardson Charity Golf Tournament and Awards Dinner/Auction benefitting El Paso charities and scholarships last Saturday and people turned out in droves with open pockets. I got a chance to talk to him and he revealed a touching story about his daughter, Yvonne, who died of leukemia at age 15. Nolan had decided to turn down the offer to coach University of Arkansas because of his daughter’s illness. But, he said, she pleaded with him not to. He went on to win the NCAA basketball championships there. He had a tear in his eye as he recalled the moment.

 

ANSWER TO trivia question: Rick Sutcliffe, who was 4-5 for the Cleveland Indians then went to the Chicago Cubs where he was 16-1 to earn the award in 1984.

19 Jun

Albers: A Titan in El Paso Sports Media

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 04.12.15

I’ve always believed that anyone who lives and works in El Paso should contribute in other ways than their job to albersphototheir hometown.

That includes members of the media.

I have tried to live up to that belief. I’ve helped start several organizations and have served on so many boards that I like to kid that I’ve got splinters in my behind.

Three past examples of those who became an integral part of El Paso and helped it grow are El Paso Herald-Post sports editor Bob Ingram, El Paso Times sports editor Chuck Whitlock and KTSM sportscaster John Phelan. They’re deceased now but they set the standard for what I’m talking about.

I call them The Titans of the El Paso Sports Media.

They were everywhere helping, encouraging, suggesting and attending meetings that made things happen in the city, like the building of the Sun Bowl, the growth of UTEP, keeping professional baseball alive, helping build organizations like the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

ADD A NEW name to that list of Titans: Former KTSM-TV sports director Fred Albers.

Like the other Titans he wasn’t just great at his craft but he got deeply involved in the community. It seems like every meeting I attended, every board I sat on, every organizational program I was in on, there he was. And what a presence he made. One could feel his genius fill the room. He was articulate, knowledgeable and full of ideas.

Albers, a native of St. Louis and a journalism graduate of the University of Missouri, came to El Paso in 1980 as a sportscaster at KVIA-TV. He was an immediate hit with his strong, clear, insightful delivery and in 1992 he became sports director at KTSM-TV.

 

HOW GOOD a sportscaster was he? So good that a few years ago he put El Paso on the world map by becoming a play by play announcer for the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour Network on Sirius XM radio. He became one of the sport’s best-known announcers, traveling throughout the world while still working as KTSM-TV sport director.

The PGA position eventually cost him his job at KTSM-TV. His PGA work took him away from El Paso as much as 25 weeks out of the year. There was a change of ownership at KTSM-TV recently and his absence was just too much. The station let him go last month.

Albers took the decision well. “I understand,” he says without rancor.

 

HIS ABSENCE will leave quite a hole in local TV sportscasting but not to worry. Albers is well paid by his PGA job and says he will continue to make El Paso his home. “I love El Paso and its people,” he says. “I’ll keep doing PGA radio and maybe I can find an administrative job at some local station when I’m not on the PGA Tour.”

If I owned a local station, I’d jump at hiring him.

Until then, we can keep enjoying Albers’ great PGA coverage on Sirius Radio station 202.

And keep enjoying just having him, his wife Kristi and their son living here.

Kristi, like Fred, is an icon in El Paso sports. She’s the only El Paso woman to win an LPGA Tour event and started the First Tee program for El Paso youths.

One can only wish them the best.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name the player who won the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL Most Valuable Player three years in a row? Answer at end of column.

 

HAVE YOU purchased your tickets to the induction banquet of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame? It’ll be held April 29 in the Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

Don’t be left out. It’s going to be a dandy event with seven outstanding El Pasoans honored.

For tickets, call 915-490-8156.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Earl Campbell of Houston in 1978, 1979 and 1980-.

 

19 Jun

22 Wins Not Enough For Miners’ Fans?

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 03.29.15

One would think that 22 wins and a second place in Conference USA would be considered a good timflorydbasketball season.

Not in El Paso. For a lot of UTEP fans, anything short of a NCAA bid is considered a failure. You should hear the complaints about the players this year. They had no heart, they gave up, they’re terrible shooters, one player complained too much and on and on.

Coach Tim Floyd had plenty of detractors, too. His handling of the players, his strategy, even his demeanor were questioned.

This is not meant as an argument with fans. Heck, I love hearing from them – both the good and the bad. It shows they care.

But, boy, are we spoiled.

 

IN DEFENSE of the players, I go back to when I was covering the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry was the coach then. I loved the man. He was the same when he won as when he lost.

After a key game, I asked him why the Cowboys were beaten. Without changing expression, he simply said, “The other team was better.”

That’s what happened with the Miners in basketball this season. They lost a few games to lesser teams but that happens. However, at the end the only team that finished ahead of the Miners in conference, Louisiana Tech, was simply better.

 

AS FOR COACH Floyd, I’ll let Charles Hill, a statistician at UTEP games and a member of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors, do the talking. I quote, in part:

“Quit blaming coach Floyd and the other coaches for the disappointing season … Coach Floyd doesn’t need anyone to defend him … He is one of the best coaches in NCAA basketball and certainly one of the best defensive minds in the game.

“Who do you suggest that UTEP should hire? Please don’t say Nolan Richardson. He is 70 years old. James Forbes might be a popular candidate but he is in his 60s and has never had to recruit players. Stop and think about what you are saying. The Miners will be just fine under the leadership of Coach Floyd and his staff.”

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first high school runner to break the 4-minute mile? Answer at end.

 

WHAT A THRILL watching greatness. Firing Line was a marvel of effortless speed as he left six good horses 14 1/4 lengths behind in the $800,000 Sunland Derby last Sunday. “Breathtaking,” one spectator remarked. We now have someone to root for in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. The Sunland victory made Firing Line, ridden by Gary Stevens and trained by Simon Callaghan, eligible.

There were other outstanding races on the card. The favorite in the Sunland Oaks, Callback, trained by Bob Baffert, was disqualified and placed fourth. “Bridge jumpers” (people who like to bet heavily on favorites — one Sunland patron bet $2000 to win on Callback), were devastated but Baffert still came up with an entry for the Kentucky Oaks. His other entry, Maybellene, finished second and was moved up to first.

 

 

ALL IN ALL, it was quite a weekend at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Thousands of spectators overflowed the stands and the parking lot was so packed people had to park on side streets.

Another big winner was United Blood Services. The exotic Sunland Park Gala that’s held the night before the Sunland Derby benefits that organization, and is that heart-warming or what?. United Blood Services has saved countless lives through the years.

One particular example presented last Saturday included a young girl who was born premature and weighed only a little over two pounds at birth. Thanks to United Blood Services she survived and there she was on the Sunland Gala stage last Saturday – pretty as a picture, fully grown and celebrating her 16th birthday.

It brought a tear of joy to more than one attendee.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Jim Ryun.

19 Jun

UTEP Coach Price Nominated for Athletic Hall

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 03.08.15

Mike Price, who won the hearts of El Paso with his coaching and engaging personality, is mpriceamong nine new nominees for induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

Price took over the football reins at UTEP in 2004 and immediately turned the Miners’ fortunes around. Taking over a team that had gone 2-11 the year before, he led the Miners to an 8-4 record and an invitation to the Houston Bowl. He repeated the 8-4 record in 2005 and received another bowl bid, this time to the GMAC Bowl.

All in all, he won 48 games during his nine year career with the Miners and took the team to three bowl games. His 48 victories rank second only to the 66 by coach Mack Saxon, who coached the Miners in their infancy, and his three bowl games ties Mike Brumbelow’s record for most bowls by a UTEP coach.

 

BUT THERE’S more to Mike Price than coaching. His warm, friendly disposition fit in nicely with the El Paso population. I like to refer to him as “everybody’s favorite uncle.”

What’s more, he was an innovative type. El Pasoans will forever remember his coming onto the field at football games holding up a real miner’s pick. The pick soon became a symbol of the school and can now be seen on lapels and autos and billboards.

El Pasoans love Mike Price, and he loves us back. Although he had gained national prominence as national Coach of the Year at Washington State University in 1997, he decided to make El Paso his permanent home after giving up coaching in 2012.

 

THE NINE new nominees bring the total this year to 17. Voting for induction by the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors will be held March 16 at First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Avenue. The induction banquet will be held April 29 in the Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

Following are the eight nominees besides Price who were presented at the final nominations meeting last Monday, in alphabetical order:

 

RUBEN DOMINGUEZ, former cross country and mile high school state champion at Austin High who later was an alternate member of the 1975 UTEP national champion cross country team.

 

BRIAN KANOF, professional photographer who has captured some of El Paso’s greatest sports moments, including one of long-jump world record setting Bob Beamon that appeared in Sports Illustrated and one of Don Haskins that led to Haskins being known as “The Bear.”

 

KARL KIELICH, a member of the United State Bowling Congress who is credited with helping to bring the organization’s national tournament to El Paso this year. He has been involved as a bowling official 30 years.

 

JOE OVERTON, former Coronado High School baseball coach who produced some of El Paso’s outstanding college players and won the district title with a perfect 14-0 record in 1984. He also coached the offense of the Coronado football team that won six consecutive district titles from 1977 through 1982.

 

PAUL PEARSON, a long distance runner who was so outstanding he was inducted into the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 along with other members of the 1974 indoor NCAA championship team. He had multiple high finishes in national meets.

 

JERRY PIPPINS, Coronado High tennis coach whose players have won 16 straight district titles. His record at Coronado is 156-0 for fall tennis and 354-43 overall.

 

ED STANSBURY, one of the greatest all-around athletes at Irvin High School. He starred in track, football and basketball. He later played football as a starter at UCLA and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2002 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2004.

 

RUSS VANDENBURG, who played football for UTEP during its golden decade (the 1960s) and later coached at Burges High School where his track teams won district titles. Among other positions, he currently holds a seat on the UTEP development board.

 

NOMINATED previously were Ray Adauto, Eric Alwan, Roy Culberson, Bob Geske, Shawn Lehigh, Matt Simon, Scott Stein and Brian Young.

23 Nov

College Football This Year A Feast Of Goodies

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 11.23.14

Has 2014 been a great college football season or what? It’s been a delicious smorgasbord of close games, upsets and improbable utep logocomebacks. Former major powerhouses like Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Florida State have had to share the spotlight with lesser lights like TCU, Mississippi State, Baylor and even Arizona State

Florida State has remained undefeated but it’s been frightened so often it’s a miracle its fans haven’t suffered heart attacks.

All season any number of teams could claim they’re No. 1. All of which will make for one of the most exciting finishes to the season ever.

 

AND THEN there are the UTEP Miners. Many people, including me, scoffed when my crystal ball predicted they would win six games this year, but there they are today with six wins and bowl eligible.

That makes the 2014 season even more thrilling. Now, people are asking which bowl will pick the Miners. The best bet is the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. That would be neat what with a nifty payoff of $456,250 and close enough for El Pasoans to drive to.

But wait a minute. If the Miners can win their final two regular season games against Rice and Middle Tennessee they could go to an even bigger, richer bowl.

Either way, things are rosy.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Which professional team was the first to put emblems on the helmets? Answer at end of column.

 

SPEAKING OF trivia questions, ours have become quite popular among some readers. A pretty young lady came up to me the other day and said she looks forward to the trivia question in my column every week. However, she confessed that she cheats. “I look at the answer at the end of the column right away after I read the question,” she said with a big smile, “I can’t wait.”

 

PICKING AN all-star team in any sport is a tricky thing. There’s no way you can please everyone. I know. I’ve been picking such teams for more than 50 years.

So it was no surprise to me that there were a few complaints that some players were left off UTEP’s Centennial All-Star teams. The most complaints I heard in football concerned Harvey “Pug” Gabrel, who would have set a national single game rushing record in 1949 but for a great act of sportsmanship. When coach Jack Curtice offered to give him the ball often in the second half against New Mexico State so he could set the record he turned it down, saying he didn’t want to pile up the score on the hapless Aggies. It cost him the title.

 

BUT OVERALL, the folks that picked the Centennial all-stars, and they did it without the help of the media, did a fine job. The all-stars were embraced and highly applauded when they were introduced at last week’s football and basketball games.

Personally, the selection that warmed my heart most was that of Ernest Keily. He was the pulling guard on the Miners’ great teams of the late 1940s. He’s the one who cleared the way for Fred Wendt’s national rushing title in 1948 and would have paved the way for Gabrel the next year. Pulling guards so seldom get attention. What’s more, Keily and I were schoolmates at El Paso High School in the early 1940s.

 

THE RESPONSE to the offer by Mesa Publishing to hand deliver my latest book, “The Good, the Bad and the Funny of El Paso Sports History,” to anyone within the El Paso city limits was surprisingly good. Most of those who ordered by calling me at 915-584-0626 or emailing me at rayf358@yahoo.com got autographed books within 24 hours. The offer still stands, Mesa Publishing says.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: The Los Angeles Rams in 1948.

 

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